Pakistan Travel Information

Facts About Pakistan

Background: The separation in 1947 of British India into the
Muslim state of Pakistan (with two sections West and East) and largely
Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved. A third war between these
countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan seceding and becoming the
separate nation of Bangladesh. A dispute over the state of Kashmir is
ongoing. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted
its own tests in 1998.Government type: federal republicCapital: IslamabadCurrency: 1 Pakistani rupee (PRe) = 100 paisa

People of Pakistan

The majority of Pakistan's population lives along the Indus River
valley and along an arc formed by the cities of Faisalabad, Lahore,
Rawalpindi/Islamabad, and Peshawar.

Although the official language of Pakistan is Urdu, it is spoken as a
first language by only 9% of the population; 65% speak Punjabi, 11%
Sindhi, and 24% speak other languages (Pushtu, Saraiki, Baloch, Brahui).
Urdu, Punjabi, Pushtu, and Baloch are Indo-European languages; Brahui is
believed to have Dravidian (pre-Indo-European) origins. English is widely
used within the government, the officer ranks of the military, and in many
institutions of higher learning.